


It Was Here Where She Let Go

by tstrash



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-04-05 15:31:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14047308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tstrash/pseuds/tstrash
Summary: in which Tessa can't help but over analyze every possible moment that leads up to this





	It Was Here Where She Let Go

**Author's Note:**

> hello everyone I am back from a writing hiatus. thanks to my business partners for inspiring me to get back on the writing train. here's an idea that springs from all the media we've gotten recently

It's hard to pinpoint the exact moment where she knew she would let go. A bunch of small moments, perhaps, that caused her to boil over. But she did it. In their quiet hotel room after the trip to LA was coming to a close, she gave in and kissed him. 

Maybe it was the fact that people poked and prodded at their relationship to such an extent she wanted to prove to herself that really they weren't together. Or did she just prove that they were? 

It's been a common theme over the last month since the final note of Come What May rang through Pyeongchang, leaving the worldwide audience on their feet, in screams and tears, and in pure awe of what they had just witnessed. Since then, it's been a flood of the question. 

_"So are you guys a couple?"_  
_"What's your relationship status?"_  
_"Are you dating?_

And with everyone of those questions (or non questions), she did her best to tell the truth. It wasn't that simple. It was never a yes or no answer because dating doesn't even begin to cover the ground that they have walked over the past 20 years. So they stick to the script. 

_"It's such a compliment when people think that because it means were doing our job."_  
_"We value our business partnership, and we have worked very hard over the past 20 years to be in this place."_  
_"Relationship status is none of your business."_  
_"It's natural for people to put this partnership into a box. They want to define it, I do that with my favorite tv characters. But we don't even really understand."_  
_"Non, nous ne sommes un couple."_  
And finally  
_"We are not, but...I am so grateful to have lived the last 20 years by his side and to share that moment together."_

__"So you're a couple?" Ellen asks one more time and it threw her for a loop. And instead of digging herself a deeper hole, she decided to laugh it off, hoping it would be enough. She knew coming into this interview that Ellen would push. She's seen it in past interviews, and heard the kind of questions she would ask and what games she played, so while none of this came as a surprise, it did in a sense.__

____

__

Even trying to throw Ellen a bone during the commercial break by telling her that it's not that simple and by simply saying that they were or were not dating wouldn't be fair to anyone. She understood but didn't buy it. Little did she know the social media storm brewing about the same. She tried to steer clear from all the comments online, accusing them of lying, or throwing the game on purpose to cover up what was really going on between them. And now, sitting in the back of the car with Kelly and Scott that is taking them to dinner, she can't help but laugh uncomfortably about all of this. 

"What are you laughing about?" Scott pipes up from the front seat, her eyes still trained on her phone.  
"Nothing, really. Just peoples comments about the show" she responds, nonchalantly.  
"Anything good?"  
"They think we got some answers wrong on purpose to cover up how well we actually know each other" she explains.  
"Hmm, well they aren't wrong" he replies.  
"What?"  
"I know your coffee order, Tess. That was one of the easiest questions ever. So I thought maybe that throwing one of the easier ones would steer people in another direction but I guess not" he admits. 

Tessa let out a forced laugh and returned back to reading on her phone. They arrive to dinner and they sit across from Kelly, her thigh pressed to his as they sit in a booth near the back. It's comfortable, it's normal, and it's grounding. And she can't help but think that maybe all of this means more than what they're trying to sell. Little moments, she thinks, and she retreats into her own thoughts momentarily.

Their hands finding one another's in those quiet moments where words couldn't begin to explain the feelings, hugs that were spontaneous and lasted longer than they needed to, feeling him come up behind her in dance rehearsal the other day, his arms strong around her waist and his breath hot on her neck as he tucked his head into the spot that would eventually be her downfall. 

"Tessa?" Kelly asks and she snaps back to reality.  
"You good?" Scott asks as he moves his hand onto her leg, giving a little squeeze of _reassurance_.  
"Yeah, sorry. I think I'm just really hungry and really tired" neither of which are true.  
"We were just saying we're ready to order, are you?" Kelly tells her.  
"Oh, yeah, yeah let's order" she says as she shakes her head and gets back into the present. 

His hand doesn't leave her thigh until their meals are placed in front of them, and she can't help but perseverate on the cold spot that's left when he pulls away. She's not supposed to feel this. They _aren't_ together. 

Her mind is a blur and the rest of dinner is long forgotten when they get back to their hotel. She bids Scott a good night and he kisses her cheek before he enters his room down the hall from hers. She follows Kelly into their shared room and sits on the end of the bed, tipping her head back and letting out a muffled sigh. Kelly looks over to Tessa from her bed on the other side of the room and hesitates before speaking. 

"You should go" Kelly says quietly.  
"What?" Tessa cocks her head in Kelly's direction, asking for clarity.  
"Go talk to him. As much as I would love to help you through this, this is something you need to talk to Scott about."  
She was right. She needed to find some solace and curse her for pointing out that he was the only one that could bring that. She let out another sigh, got up from the bed, changed into a hoodie and leggings and headed for the door.  
"I hope you find what you're looking for, T. You deserve it" Kelly's parting words as Tessa turns her head over her shoulder and shoots her a grin.  
"How's my hair?" she asks with a small chuckle.  
"Perfect as always because I did it!" Kelly jokes back and they both laugh as Tessa heads down the hall. 

She shyly knocks on his door and is surprised to see that he opens it within seconds. 

"Hi." "Hi, T." Scott opens the door wider, inviting her in. "I had a feeling I would be seeing you again tonight."  
"Yeah" she responds softly as she makes her way over to his bed, perching herself on the end.  
"You okay? Well, I know you aren't." He corrects himself.  
"What are we, Scott?" She blurts out.  
"You know I don't have an answer to that, Tess. We don't have an answer to that" he tells her softly as he sits next to her on the bed.  
"I'm just tired" she starts and he takes her hand in his, rubbing his thumb along the lines of her palm. "I'm so tired."  
"Me too" he sympathizes. 

And that's when it hits her. She lets her eyes move slowly from his eyes, down to their hands that fit so perfectly together, studying each small movement that comes with it. 

"Tess" an audible whisper escapes his lips and her breath hitches as she moves her eyes back up to the chocolate brown of his and she feels herself getting lost. 

And that's when she does it. 

Slowly, letting her eyes flutter shut, she closes the gap between them, all of a sudden not wondering what any of this means. Because in this moment, kissing him, she knows what she wants it to mean. And letting go has never felt easier. 


End file.
